A new staging of György Kurtág's song-cycle Kafka Fragments premieres in the Linbury Studio Theatre this week. Performed by soprano Claire Booth and violinist Peter Manning, the song-cycle will be brought to life in an imaginative new staging by video artist Netia Jones. We caught up with Netia and Claire during rehearsals to find out more:

Is Kafka Fragments only for fans of Kafka’s work?

Netia: Not at all. One of the reasons why Franz Kafka is one of the great authors is not just the brilliance of his writing and observation, but that the themes that he tackles are timeless. These feeling of confusion, alienation and fear are things that just don’t change; they are easy to understand from any point of view or perspective. In our production, we are trying to create something that is timeless.

Claire: The song cycle is so idiosyncratic that it is accessible for those who feel they know nothing about Kurtág and Kafka.

The piece is composed of 40 miniature works that range in length from 12 seconds to four minutes. Does the cycle work as a unified whole?

Netia: It’s actually very important to me that it’s not a unified whole. Although there is a structure to it, there isn’t a narrative. What Kurtág and Kafka offer is an open-ended question – something unfinished that you can explore. There’s not a solution there, but a space for the question itself. It’s a very beautiful piece of music.

Kafka’s characters often show aspects of his own personality, and Kafka Fragments is composed from his diaries and letters. Do you think the song cycle offers insights into the writer himself?

Netia: We’re not exploring anything biographical, but rather the essence of Kafka’s thinking and his approach to life. Because these fragments are so concentrated and so crystalline, you find themes that are recurrent in Kafka’s work.

Netia, you work a lot with visual projections and video. How are you using projected media in this production?

Netia: We are presenting projected translations of the text all the way through. You have to be able to read and understand the actual fragments to grasp their many layers and to know why Kurtág has set them the way he has. The projections also offer moments of illumination. It’s not just about casting light in a physical sense, but offering visual guidance to enable us to grasp the meaning better: fleeting moments when something is illuminated before the light goes off.

Kafka’s texts are often difficult to translate into English. How do you think they translate to music?

Netia: Kurtág brings Kafka’s texts to life in musical form to reveal the real essence of their author. It’s not often that you see such a perfect marriage of music and text.

In some ways, the translation of the spirit of Kafka into music is easier than into the English language."

Claire: Kafka Fragments works because it is the meeting of two men who, though seemingly unrelated in every way, have so much in common. Both said that their work is about their own experiences of life and, in particular, both distil what they do to its most concentrated form so that every utterance has an intensity, and layers of meaning. The cycle is a real pinnacle of vocal writing in the modern age and so it’s an amazing piece to work on. It demands a lot in regards to performance, but I like a challenge.

The nominations announced for prestigious London theatre awards have been announced.

The Royal Ballet's Aeternum, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon has been nominated in the Best New Dance production while Marianela Nuñez has been nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for her performances in Aeternum, Diana and Actaeon (from Metamorphosis: Titian 2012) and Viscera.

Tenor Bryan Hymel has been nominated for his performances in The Royal Opera's Les Troyens, Robert le diable and Rusalka in the Outstanding Achievement in Opera category alongside a joint nomination for the Stage Management teams of both the Royal Opera House and English National Opera and Music Theatre Wales for In the Locked Room/Ghost Patrol, performed in the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theatre.

Former Royal Ballet dancer Gillian Lynne will receive a special award.

The Olivier Awards ceremony will be held at the Royal Opera House on 28 April and will be relayed live to a big screen in Covent Garden Piazza. You can listen to live coverage on BBC Radio 2 and watch highlights afterwards on ITV.

With savings of up to 40% on opera and ballet and the chance to secure the best seats at the best prices, it is the ideal opportunity to introduce family and friends to Royal Opera House productions.

Opera on offer for Summer 2013 includes Elijah Moshinsky’s compelling production of Simon Boccanegra, Nicholas Joël’s La rondine and Jonathan Kent’s classic Tosca - this last being one of Puccini’s best-loved works and the perfect introduction to opera.

For ballet fans, Kenneth MacMillan’s darkly passionate Mayerling and Marius Petipa’s exotic La Bayadère are included, alongside a Mixed Programme of Balanchine’s Symphony in C and Wayne McGregor’s Raven Girl, a brand new work created in collaboration with award-winning author Audrey Niffenegger.

Other benefits for group bookers include a ‘book now, pay later’ arrangement and a dedicated group booking phone line. In addition, if you confirm your booking by 1 May, your group can benefit from an extra 5% discount. Find out full details of Summer offers.

Groups of 10 or more are eligible for these offers. Tickets can be booked through our Group Sales Department by email at groupbookings@roh.org.uk and by telephone on +44 (0)20 7304 4002.